Non-reusable device for closing a flexible tube



Oct. 15, 1957 a M. MOBERG 2,809,651

NON-REUSABLE DEVICE FOR CLOSING A FLEXIBLE TUBE Filed Aug. 24, 1955 all!1 WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'IIII I/IIIIIIIII III,

United States Patent NON-REUSABLE DEVICE FOR CLOSING A FLEXIBLE TUBEApplication August 24, 1955, Serial No. 530,368 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-67)This invention relates to means for closing a flexible tube such as arubber tube and, more particularly, to means which function as asafeguard or seal and which cannot be reused.

To mention only one of various ways in which the present invention maybe advantageously employed, some dispensers of liquids, such as, forexample, milk or other beverages, employ a replaceable and refillabletank which has a rubber tubing associated therewith to permit connectionof the tank to a valve which controls the dispensing of the liquid.These tanks are usually filled at a central, filling depot and thendelivered as replacements or refills for tanks which have been emptiedat the dis- Means must be provided, however, to assure the one who ownsor controls the dispenser and purchases the retill tanks that none ofthe liquid has been surreptitiously withdrawn from the tank between thetime of its filling at the filling depot and the time of delivery to theowner of the dispenser; i. e., dispenser wants assurance that fullmeasure of the liquid is received.

The principal or broad object of this invention, therefore, is toprovide means which will prevent such surreptitious withdrawal of liquidfrom the tank without leaving evidence that such withdrawal hasoccurred. The said object and other more or less obvious objects areaccomplished, through this invention, by the provision of a device forpinch-closing the flexible tube, which device, once used and opened,cannot thereafter be used to reclose the tube. It, as would be arranged,such devices could only be obtained by authorized persons, it followsthat the invention affords a safeguard to responsible personsparticipating in the distribution of liquids through the use of suchtanks.

A single embodiment of a tube-closing device according to this inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawing without, however, limitingthe invention to that particular embodiment.

In the drawing:

Figures 1, 2 and 3, respectively, are front, end, and back elevationalviews of a nonreusable tube-closing device according to a preferredembodiment of this invention, illustrated as in closing association witha flexible tube which is fragmentarily shown.

Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, are sectional views on the lines 4-4 and5-5 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and 7, respectively, are reduced-scale, elevational views of theinner and outer sides of the device as supplied to users by themanutacturer, i. e., as before application to a tube.

Fig. 8 is a reduced-scale, side-edge view of the device as at an initialstage in its application to a flexible tube.

The tube-closing device 10 is preferably stamped and formed from sheetmetal of such composition and thickness as to function in the mannerhereinafter described. As illustrated, it is formed and stamped out tothe generally rectangular shape shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Its outer iceface is formed with a transverse score or line of weakness 12 whichconstitutes a dividing line between a front tubesqueezing portion 14 anda back tube-squeezing portion 16; and a pair of parallel, transversescores or lines of weakness 18 and 20 on the inner face of the device,at a neck 22, serve to demark the portion 16 from an end, locking flap24.

The device, preferably, has parallel ridges on its inner face, two suchridges 26 being shown in spaced relationship adjacent to opposite edgesof portion 16 and one such ridge 28 being shown centrally of portion14', and the latter portion has ears 30, at its outer corners, adapted,when the device is closed upon a tube 32, to engage within notches 34 atopposite sides of neck 22 in a manner and for a purpose hereinafterexplained.

The device is applied to the tube 32 by first manually bending frontportion 14 toward back portion 16 into the shape of a V and placing thetube 32 between ridges 26 and 28, all as shown in Fig. 8, whereafter theportions 14 and 16 are manually bent further to their substantiallyparallel positions as shown in Fig. 4 with the tube 32 tightly squeezedand closed therebetween. Then, the locking flap 24 is manually bentcounterclockwisely (as viewed in Figs. 4 and 8) to its position of Fig.4, wherein it intimately overlies front closure portion 14.

During the described bending of locking tlap 24 relatively to portion16, the scores 18 and 20 serve to localize such bending to the vicinityof said scores so that the neck 22 assumes a position angular to flap 24and portion 16 and, also, substantially perpendicular to the portions 14and 16. Also, during such bending, the ears 30 extend through notches 34so that any tendency of the resilient rubber or other material to spreadopen the locking flap 24 would be defeated because, in the presence ofthe only force which might conceivably have such a spreading effectwould be localized at the neck 22 where no leverage would be present tocause such spreading. It should be understood, of course, that the metalor other sheet material of which the device might be made, should havevery little or no resiliency for the device to be closable as justdescribed.

The depth of the scores 12, 18 and 20 and the composition of thematerial of which the device is made are such that, during the describedclosing of the device upon the tube, it does not break at any of thescores. The scores and composition of said material, however, are suchthat the device cannot be removed from the tube or even eased oit fromits squeezing relationship to the tube and reclosed thereon withoutbreaking at one or the other of scores 18 and 20.

The device is removed from the tube by reversely (or clockwisely)bending the locking flap 24. This reverse bending normally would belocalized at one or the other of scores 18 or 20, and breakage of thedevice would occur at the point of such localization, thereby destroyingthe restrictive character of the notches 34 and allowing portions 14 and16 to be spread or broken apart at line 12 to release the tube.

It surreptitious opening of the device were attempted, in an effort topurloin some of the liquid contents of a related tank, an attempt wouldbe made to open flap 24 by distributing the unbending of the deviceequally between scores 18 and 20. However, if that attempt succeeded tothe extent of enabling portions 14 and 16 to be spread apartsutficiently to permit withdrawal of some of the contents of the relatedtank, the device would most certainly break at one or the other ofscores 18, 20 when the purloiner attempts to bend the device back to itsfully closed condition. Hence, the purloiner, not having a replacementseal, could not reclose the tube in such manner as to cover up the theftof liquid from the to enter into approximate parallelism to each otherwhen tank It may be noted that the ridges 26, 28 are preferably therincluding a reduced neck defined by notches at opin staggeredrelationship to cause irregular deformation posite sides thereof, and alocking fiap integrally conless than a total number of three such ridgescould be two parallel lines of weakness, spaced apart approximatelyprovided. to the extent of the thickness of such a squeezed tube, Thereis little possibility that the device could ac- 10 facilitating bendingof said locking flap into intimate cidentally become opened, but tominimize or obviate overlapping relationship to said firsttube-squeezing porthat possibility, the free end of locking flap 24 maybe tion to hold the device closed with said portions in their slightlybent inwardly at at 36 as shown in Fig. 4. Also, tube-squeezingrelationship and with said neck perpendicears 3!), as shown in the samefigure, may be slightly ular to said portions; said ears being adaptedto extend bent inwardly to enable them to slide more readily on the 19into said notches when the neck is in said perpendicular inner surfaceof locking flap 24 during closing of the deattitude to lock said twotube-squeezing portions against vice upon the tube. spieadmg away fromeach other; said portions having It should be obvious that the conceptsof this improvenon-aligned ridges on their inner surfaces forrigidifying ment may be embodied in various other tube-closing structhemand extending transversely of a squeezed tube to actures without,however, departing from this invention 20 centuate their squeezingeffect upon such a squeezed tube as set forth in the following claims.and said lines of weakness inducing breakage thereat if I laim: anattempt is made to open and reclose the device 1. A non-reusuable devicefor closing a flexible tube A device according to claim I, furtherincluding a at any accessible portion thereof, comprising a strip f 25line of Weakness coincident with said straight line. substantiallynon-resilient sheet metal having a first tube- A deVlCe according toClaim a h f aid tubesqueezing portion with ears at opposite corners ofone Squeezing Portions having Such a bend Therein adjacent end edgethereof, a second tube-squeezing portion adjoin- 1O Said straight lineto permit the mentioned parallelism. z FE? P j relative]; 5 first jialong ,3 References Cited in the file of this patent s rai me a a margin0 e a er 0 on e rom sai one 5nd edge thereof to squeeze such a {[11:55therebetween, 30 UNITED STATES PATENTS one of said portions having abend therein adjacent to said 1,821,418 Brooks Sept. 1, 1931 straightline enabling tube engaging areas of said portions 2,544,929 Madsen Mar.13, 1951

